By
Barr Vitalis Unachukwu
Article One:
The election of any nation’s President is a big deal because the progressive legal, political, economic and democratic development and survival of a nation depend on the ingenuity , vision, conscientious soul, diligence, prudence and achievement mentality of who is duly elected into office to lead, on whose Presidential desk or table the buck stops.
It’s therefore not surprising that the United States, the world’s greatest democracy, spends quality time through an arduous, rigorous electoral processes in the selection and ultimate election of the nation’s President, from caucuses, through party primaries, debates, town hall meeting of voters before the actual Presidential Elections on the first Tuesday of the month of November of the Election Year ,
unlike the political Mumbo Jumbo Election Fire Brigade system in Nigeria.
From Nigeria’s checkered political history and all the bastardization of our fragile democracy, it’s advisable to prove to political doubting Thomases in the world that Nigeria’s learning process enjoys notches of progressive political and electoral improvements and advancements, rather than inexcusable stagnation, and that the next electoral leadership experience would be far greater than the former, because all the lapses of the broken system and its sharp deprecated practices would be noted, vetted and addressed to avoid making previous electoral mistakes again in the future.
Political leadership and electoral mistakes of the past are not expected to define us , but should help us learn from our inadvertent and exuberant past , in order to make progress for an enduring future.
Nigerians as Political Sovereign of our nation’s democracy, should constantly remind themselves of the vital role demanded from them by law to ensure that the election of the nation’s President is free from personality distractions , electoral flaws manipulated by the ruling class and ensure that their votes as citizens count and free from political intimidation, oppression , detractions , rigging and disenfranchisement.
With the political consciousness of today Nigerians , who unanimously agree that all the nation’s blessings have turned into national burdens and curses, after almost another round of eight years of democratic leadership experiment, should have learnt the bitter lesson that all that glitters are not gold and that the earlier they start real soul searching for the next President, imbued with the charismatic leadership qualities and personality of Moses.
The better, as time is fast petering out for self recollection and proper decision making now that we are faced with an uncertain political future , if blunder in knowing the Presidential qualities of our nation’s next President and the candidate among the stream of candidates on whom the Presidential garb fits.
Nigerians should not allow themselves to abdicate or quit their role as Political Sovereign of our democracy or be tempted to be politically docile to leave the political stage for the ruling class, when they should assume the role of deciding the fate of elections and political candidates who present themselves for such elections, based on their unbiased convictions on candidates proven track record of service , experience and ability to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people, who are the sole owners of government, from whom government constitutionally derives its power of governance.
THE STATE OF OUR UNION
Every Nigerian who has undergone excruciating pains , sufferings and hardships knows the current state of our union and why political leadership has been the greatest problem facing our nation since independence, without mincing thoughts words.
Political leadership at all levels of government is not a bread and butter joke.
The Webster Dictionary defines leadership as simply,”leading first and going in
the way of first,” which implies the right way in showing others the right direction.
Underscoring the concept of leadership and its philosophical implications unveils all our nation’s leadership shortcomings and weaknesses, of which appropriate decision is imminent at the moment for Nigerians to weigh in and back the right candidate who holds the Presidential magic wand, to rewrite the present dismal history of our nation into a success story of a national pride , where peace , cohesion, liberty, progress and development override any other negative considerations.
Today, empirical evidence shows that we are in a hole , ditch and political limbo and suggests that we are unable to wriggle out and save our dashed hopes to advance in all indices of nation building.
We are politically stagnated with no motivation to rekindle the flame of patriotism in Nigerians , due to gross indiscipline across the board of all levels of government. Leadership by example went with the winds , as Nigerians reeled in unspeakably painful circumstances till date.
There have been failed hopes , betrayal of public trust and abysmal negation of respect to the Rule of Law and Human Rights of citizens.
It’s noteworthy that years of Military Rule in which our nation was subjugated to the Rule of the Military Junta , with a suspended Constitution, were attributed to gross indiscipline and incurable, corrupt tendencies of politicians, who each time failed to learn their lessons, after each Military Intervention.
The opportunity we have today appears to have been wasted by our lackluster penchant to remain politically incorrigible, because of the nature of rulers and political actors behind our wheel of democracy, who made made unguarded decisions that affected the entire polity.
Of course , Military Rule is an aberration throughout the world . Their incursion into politics was unnecessary and their diarchical partnership may have robbed us of enormous progress we could have made if those on the political saddle are electable and are square pegs in Square holes.
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The facts are there for all Nigerians to see and decide on how to make time honored decisions that are appropriate in reinvigorating the political leadership of our country, when armed with the Presidential Qualities to look for in the personality of the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Whoever has been resident in Nigeria for almost eight years feels it and knows the worrisome state of our union.
We should resolve at this crucial moment to stop making mockery of our nation’s democracy which has thrown everyone under the bus , with no voice to defend our sovereignty in the choice and election of political representatives, even when we know that our contemporary democracy is never an extension of Military Rule in Nigeria.
We seem to have lost our national bearing , democratic direction in making progress after 61 years of independence and political identity in resolving to do what’s right in the governance of ourselves.
The state of insecurity and chaotic situation in the land at this stage , calls for sober reflection and honest change of leadership come 2023 , by the grace of Almighty God , Who holds each of us , rulers or leaders and the led accountable now before judgement day.
We should be able to have a cursory look at the scoresheet and boards of those warming up to be Nigeria’s next President and find out if they have the Presidential qualities canvassed herein and make up our minds to back the candidate who stands tallest above the others.
TO BE CONTINUED:
